Friday, June 5, 2015

Parsley: One of the World's Seven Most Potent Disease-Fighting Spices with 33 Health Benefits

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), the world's most popular culinary
herb is also known as "rock celery" and belongs to the Umbelliferae
family of plants.

Parsley is one of the world's seven most potent
disease-fighting spices which also include Ginger, Oregano, Cinnamon,
Turmeric, Sage, and Red chili peppers. Parsley grows in most climates
and is readily available throughout the year. It is a biennial plant
which means that it produces seeds during its second year of production
and will reseed itself if you let it.

While parsley is a
wonderfully nutritious and healing food, it is often under-appreciated.
Most people do not realize that this vegetable has more uses than just
being a decorative garnish that accompanies restaurant meals.

Parsley
is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe and has been
cultivated for more than 2,000 years. It was originally used as a
medicinal plant (see below) prior to being consumed as a food.

Ancient
Greeks held parsley to be sacred, using it to not only adorn victors of
athletic contests, but also for decorating the tombs of the deceased.
While it is uncertain when and where parsley began to be consumed as a
seasoning, historians think it may be sometime during the Middle Ages in
Europe. Some historians credit Charlemagne with its popularization as
he had it grown on his estates.

Parsley's Many Therapeutic Health Benefits Include Its Use For:

o Anemia: Builds up the blood because it is high in iron. The high vitamin C content assists the absorption of iron.

o Antioxidant: Increases the anti-oxidant capacity of the blood.

o Bactericidal (kills bacteria)

o Bad breath

o Baldness: Believe it or not, men even scrubbed parsley onto their scalps to cure baldness--which doesn't work.

o
Digestion: Parsley is an excellent digestion restorative remedy. It
improves the digestion of proteins and fats therefore promoting
intestinal absorption, liver assimilation and storage. Because of its
high enzyme content, parsley benefits digestive activity and
elimination.

o Dissolves cholesterol within the veins.

o Diureticparsley tea helps resolve swollen ankles.

o Ear health: Treats deafness and ear infections.

o Edema: Acts as a diuretic and blood vessel strengthener.

o Fatigue: Parsley is high in iron so helps repair and provides components for better blood cells.

o Gallstones: Helps dissolve them.

o Glandular support of the liver, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands.

o Gout

o
Hormonal support: In women, parsley improves estrogen and nourishes and
restores the blood of the uterus. Conditions like delayed menstruation,
PMS, and the menopause (dry skin, irritability, depression and hair
loss) can often improve.

o Hormone balancing is achieved through the volatile fatty acids contained in parsley.

o
Immune booster: The high vitamin C, beta carotene, B12, chlorophyll and
essential fatty acid content render parsley an extraordinary immunity
enhancing food. Parsley is an immune-enhancing multi-vitamin and mineral
complex in green plant form and one of the most important herbs for
providing vitamins to the body.

o Inhibits tumor formation, particularly in the lungs.

o Insect bites: Rub on to relieve the swelling and itch.

o Jaundice

o
Kidneys: Parsley is effective for nearly all kidney and urinary
complaints except severe kidney inflammation. It improves kidney
activity and can help eliminate wastes from the blood and tissues of the
kidneys. It prevents salt from being reabsorbed into the body tissues;
thus parsley literally forces debris out of the kidneys, liver and
bladder. It helps improve edema and general water retention, fatigue and
scanty or painful urination.

o
Stamina loss and low resistance to infection, point to a sluggish
liver. This can manifest itself in blood deficiencies, fatigue, a pale
complexion and poor nails, dizzy spells, anemia and mineral depletion.

o Stomach problems

o
Strengthens loose teeth: In the Middle Ages parsley was used for many
conditions including 'fastening teeth' (Scurvy, which is caused by a
Vitamin C deficiency, makes the gums spongy and the teeth loose.)

o Uterine tonic

o Weight loss benefits from being a diuretic

Nutritional
Benefits of Parsley:Parsley is a nutrient powerhouse containing high
levels of beta carotene, vitamin B12, folate, chlorophyll, calcium, more
vitamin C than citrus fruits, and just about all other known nutrients.
Parsley is a moistening, nourishing, restoring, 'warming' food, pungent
with a slightly bitter, salty flavor. It enhances and stimulates the
energy of organs, improving their ability to assimilate and utilize
nutrients.

Beta carotene is used for protein assimilation. This
nutrient benefits the liver and protects the lungs and colon.

Beta-carotene is converted by the body to vitamin A, a nutrient so
important to a strong immune system that its nickname is the
"anti-infective vitamin."

Chlorophyll: Parsley is abundant in
chlorophyll, thus purifying and inhibiting the spread of bacteria, fungi
and other organisms. Chlorophyll from parsley is slightly
anti-bacterial and anti-fungal which acts to enhance immune response and
to relieve mucus congestion, sinusitis and other 'damp' conditions.
Chlorophyll, high in oxygen, also suppresses viruses and helps the lungs
to discharge residues from environmental pollution.

Essential
Fatty Acids: Parsley is a source of alpha-linolenic acid, an important
essential fatty acid that is too frequently deficient in today's diets.

Fluorine
is an important nutritional component abundantly found in parsley.
Fluorine has an entirely different molecular structure from
chemically-produced fluoride. Tooth decay results from a shortage of
fluorine, not fluoride. It is the combination of calcium and fluorine
which creates a very hard protective surface on teeth and bones.
Fluorine also protects the body from infectious invasion, germs and
viruses.

Folic Acid, one of the most important B vitamins, but one
of its most critical roles in relation to cardiovascular health is to
convert homocysteine into benign molecules. Homocysteine is a
potentially dangerous molecule that, at high levels, can directly damage
blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke in
people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Folic acid is
also a critical nutrient for proper cell division and is therefore
vitally important for cancer-prevention in two areas of the body that
contain rapidly dividing cells--the colon, and in women, the cervix.

Iron:
The iron content of parsley is exceptional with 5.5mg per100g (4oz). A
half-cup of fresh parsley or one tablespoon dried has about 10 percent
of your iron daily requirements. Plus, parsley has the vitamin C your
body needs to absorb that iron.

Protein: Parsley is made up of 20% protein. (About the same as mushrooms.)

Vitamin
B12: Parsley contains traces of B12 producing compounds. Such compounds
are needed for the formation of red blood cells and normal cell growth,
important for fertility, pregnancy, immunity and the prevention of
degenerative illness. The action of vitamin B12, however, is inhibited
by birth control pills, antibiotics, intoxicants, stress, sluggish
liver, and excess bacteria or parasites in the colon or digestive
tracts.

Parsley helps to counteract these inhibitors.

Vitamin K:
Getting at least 100 micrograms of Vitamin K a day can drastically cut
your risk of hip fracture.

Vitamin K is necessary for bones to get the
minerals they need to form properly. Parsley is loaded with vitamin K
(180 mcg per 1/2 cup). Cooking parsley nearly doubles its Vitamin K.

Vitamin
C: Parsley contains more vitamin C than any other standard culinary
vegetable, with 166mg per 100g (4oz). This is three times as much as
oranges. Flavonoids, which make up the Vitamin C molecule, maintain
blood cell membranes, and act as an antioxidant helper.

Volatile
oil components - including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and
alpha-thujene. Parsley's volatile oils, particularly myristicin, have
been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and
particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. It acts as an antioxidant
that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the
benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke, charcoal grill smoke, and
the smoke produced by trash incinerators).

Many of my client's test they would benefit greatly from eating parsley for all kinds of health problems.

How to Use Parsley:

Top
off your sandwiches with it, include it in your salad greens, put it in
Tabbouli or better yet, toss it into simmering soups, stews and sauces.
We eat it raw in salads and those days when I can't eat it raw, I often
add a couple of parsley capsules to my nutritional supplements.

Parsley
juice, as an herbal drink, is quite powerful and is usually taken in
quantities of about 2 fl oz (50ml) three times a day and is best mixed
with other juices. I noticed that it's most effective to juice parsley
in between other vegetables as the juice is heavy and thick and doesn't
move through some juicers very readily.

Types of Parsley:The two
most popular types of parsley are curly parsley and Italian flat leaf
parsley. They are both related to celery. The Italian variety has a more
fragrant and less bitter taste than the curly variety.

There is also
another type of parsley known as turnip-rooted parsley (or Hamburg) that
is cultivated for its roots, which resemble salsify and burdock.
Chinese parsley, is actually cilantro.

How to Pick and Care for
Parsley:Whenever possible, choose fresh, dark green, organically grown
parsley that looks fresh and crisp over the dried form of the herb since
it is superior in flavor. Avoid bunches that have wilted or yellowed
leaves indicating over-mature or damaged produce.

Parsley can be
stored loosely wrapped in a damp cloth or plastic bag and refrigerated
for up to a week. Wash just before using. If the parsley wilts, either
sprinkle it lightly with some water or wash it without completely drying
it before putting it back in the refrigerator.

The best way to
clean it is just like you would spinach. Place it in a bowl of cold
water and plunge it up and down like you would a toilet plunger. This
will allow any sand or dirt to dislodge. Remove the leaves from the
water, empty the bowl, refill it with clean water and repeat this
process until no dirt remains in the water.

If you have excess
flat-leaved parsley, you can easily dry it by laying it out in a single
layer on a clean kitchen cloth. I pre-chop mine (both varieties) and
place it on a cookie sheet on top of the refrigerator where it is warm.
Stir it occasionally to allow consistent drying. Once dried, it should
be kept in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark and dry place.

Some
feel the curly leaved variety is best preserved by freezing, as opposed
to drying. Although it will retain most of its flavor, it has a
tendency to lose its crispness, so it is best used in recipes without
first thawing.
Bon Appétit!

Dr. Denice Moffat is a practicing naturopath, medical intuitive,
and veterinarian working on the family unit (which includes humans and
animals) through her telephone consultation practice established in
1995. She has a content-rich website at http://www.NaturalHealthTechniques.com.
Sign up for her free internationally distributed newsletter to receive a
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